My annoying (attempted) i5 buying adventure...

[paulyras]

So, this past weekend (have been too busy to vent about it until now), I decided to bite the bullet and buy and i5 iMac assuming I could find one in an Apple Store.

Called the Rosedale Mall store Friday evening and sure enough, 2 in stock, though they wouldn't hold one. Literally 20 minutes later, I show up only to hear that those were both sold that morning (hours before I called). Not missing a beat, they offered me a C2D iMac which I could take home right then and there. I respectfully declined.

Frustrating, but somewhat understandable. Things move fast...

Sunday AM, I call the Mall of America store even before it's open. Someone answers and I ask if they have the 'quad core i5 27 inch iMac' (not to allow for any ambiguity) in stock. The answer is, "Yes. We have a stack of them that we just received"

The store opened at 11:00, and I was there by about 11:20. Place is packed. Greeter confirms that they have them in stock, but all sales people were busy, so she would see to it that the next one attended to me (to no avail). After 30 minutes of trying to get the attention of any store employee (other than the guy standing around scratching his butt that told me that he wasn't allowed to leave the ipod area), finally I get a sales guy.

I tell him exactly what I want, and his immediate response is "You'd either have to be really lucky or order online. We've only had a couple of those since release, and they go in a matter of hours". At my insistence, explaining that two people had told me they had them, he did check. No dice, but he did have a 24 inch closeout that he could give me a good deal on.

So, is the new Apple store approach to lure people in then sell them whatever they've got? I've always had a good experience with the apple stores in the past, but this experience made the whole thing feel like a used car buying adventure.

I'm now debating whether to buy on black friday (online), hopefully losing them some of the margin they would otherwise make or just building a killer hackintosh in protest. Neither is a thrilling prospect, but I'm really annoyed (especially since I missed the first 15 minutes of the Packers game because of it).

Sorry- I'm done with my rant...

 

[Kronie]

That's common sales M.O. Lure them in with the one product that may not even be available, then sell them something else.

Whats the opposition to just applying online? I mean, you wouldn't have even had to leave the house.

Or buy the machine over the phone through the store and just go pick it up at the store?

 

[OldCorpse]

So, is the new Apple store approach to lure people in then sell them whatever they've got? I've always had a good experience with the apple stores in the past, but this experience made the whole thing feel like a used car buying adventure.

Never ascribe to elaborate malice what can be explained by simple incompetence. Apple store employees are by and large ignoramuses - yes, there are exceptions, but the bulk are morons.

I cannot even explain to you how many encounters I had with Apple drones who spout nonsense so uninformed, that I would walk away while their lips were still moving. Just this weekend I was at an Apple store here in LA, and one drone informed me that "oh yeah, you can Vesa mount all our new iMacs", completely unaware that you can only do that with the 27" ones.

I suspect that the people you spoke to were simply clueless.

 

[robotkiller]

So, this past weekend (have been too busy to vent about it until now), I decided to bite the bullet and buy and i5 iMac assuming I could find one in an Apple Store.

Called the Rosedale Mall store Friday evening and sure enough, 2 in stock, though they wouldn't hold one. Literally 20 minutes later, I show up only to hear that those were both sold that morning (hours before I called). Not missing a beat, they offered me a C2D iMac which I could take home right then and there. I respectfully declined.

Frustrating, but somewhat understandable. Things move fast...

Sunday AM, I call the Mall of America store even before it's open. Someone answers and I ask if they have the 'quad core i5 27 inch iMac' (not to allow for any ambiguity) in stock. The answer is, "Yes. We have a stack of them that we just received"

The store opened at 11:00, and I was there by about 11:20. Place is packed. Greeter confirms that they have them in stock, but all sales people were busy, so she would see to it that the next one attended to me (to no avail). After 30 minutes of trying to get the attention of any store employee (other than the guy standing around scratching his butt that told me that he wasn't allowed to leave the ipod area), finally I get a sales guy.

I tell him exactly what I want, and his immediate response is "You'd either have to be really lucky or order online. We've only had a couple of those since release, and they go in a matter of hours". At my insistence, explaining that two people had told me they had them, he did check. No dice, but he did have a 24 inch closeout that he could give me a good deal on.

So, is the new Apple store approach to lure people in then sell them whatever they've got? I've always had a good experience with the apple stores in the past, but this experience made the whole thing feel like a used car buying adventure.

I'm now debating whether to buy on black friday (online), hopefully losing them some of the margin they would otherwise make or just building a killer hackintosh in protest. Neither is a thrilling prospect, but I'm really annoyed (especially since I missed the first 15 minutes of the Packers game because of it).

Sorry- I'm done with my rant...

Agree with OldCorpse- this is probably a case of pure ignorance, as opposed to bait and switch. I'm sure the lower level employees at the AS don't know the difference between a QuadCore and DualCore iMac. All they hear is "27 inch iMac" and they regurgitate out their stock response. Depending on the store, some "Geniuses" are not much more than troubleshooting algorithm drones with no real knowledge base.

In fact, when I ordered my i7 over the phone, the salesperson wasn't aware that they even existed as a BTO option.

 

[Kronie]

In fact, when I ordered my i7 over the phone, the salesperson wasn't aware that they even existed as a BTO option.

Aw, isn't that comforting?

 

[DesignerOnMac]

So, this past weekend (have been too busy to vent about it until now), I decided to bite the bullet and buy and i5 iMac assuming I could find one in an Apple Store.

Called the Rosedale Mall store Friday evening and sure enough, 2 in stock, though they wouldn't hold one. Literally 20 minutes later, I show up only to hear that those were both sold that morning (hours before I called). Not missing a beat, they offered me a C2D iMac which I could take home right then and there. I respectfully declined.

Frustrating, but somewhat understandable. Things move fast...

Sunday AM, I call the Mall of America store even before it's open. Someone answers and I ask if they have the 'quad core i5 27 inch iMac' (not to allow for any ambiguity) in stock. The answer is, "Yes. We have a stack of them that we just received"

The store opened at 11:00, and I was there by about 11:20. Place is packed. Greeter confirms that they have them in stock, but all sales people were busy, so she would see to it that the next one attended to me (to no avail). After 30 minutes of trying to get the attention of any store employee (other than the guy standing around scratching his butt that told me that he wasn't allowed to leave the ipod area), finally I get a sales guy.

I tell him exactly what I want, and his immediate response is "You'd either have to be really lucky or order online. We've only had a couple of those since release, and they go in a matter of hours". At my insistence, explaining that two people had told me they had them, he did check. No dice, but he did have a 24 inch closeout that he could give me a good deal on.

So, is the new Apple store approach to lure people in then sell them whatever they've got? I've always had a good experience with the apple stores in the past, but this experience made the whole thing feel like a used car buying adventure.

I'm now debating whether to buy on black friday (online), hopefully losing them some of the margin they would otherwise make or just building a killer hackintosh in protest. Neither is a thrilling prospect, but I'm really annoyed (especially since I missed the first 15 minutes of the Packers game because of it).

Sorry- I'm done with my rant...

1. Not all retail people are morons, etc. When I worked retail, I spent time in the warehouse to see what we actually had for stock, etc.

2. If the store is packed as you suggest, I am sure that not everyone on the sales floor knows minute by minute what they have in stock.

3. These are new items, as in the past with new Apple computers, they are in short supply. (I think you know that.)

4. You could have saved a lot of time and gone to the Apple Store online and ordered it and it could have been on its way to you by now....(maybe)!